This weekend Seattle band Midnight High finally get the party they’ve been waiting years for when they release their debut full-length Swimming Lessons at the Tractor Tavern.

The project came together during the pandemic when quarantining forced Nik Singleton and Luke Dumke to drop all other collaborations. Despite the fact the two had been bandmates in Old Coast and Day of the Dead Arcade, and life partners for a decade, it was the first time they’d collaborated just the two of them. Swimming Lessons is full of firsts, really.

“I’ve been backup singing for 13 years and I’d never done lead vocals or written my own songs,” said Singleton. And Dumke, who composed and performed layers of synths, live drums, guitar, and bass for the record, also had to push his musical boundaries. “I’ve mostly just been a drummer or a producer. It definitely was jumping way out of my comfort zone.” 

The result is a collection of songs that conjure an I’m-feeling-wistful-but-I-still-want-to-dance energy. It’s a sparkle-pop love letter to a post-COVID future that might never come.

“We made this album during the pandemic when we were longing very much for the way things used to be, with doing shows and collaborating with other musicians,” said Singleton. “We were writing the record not really sure if, or when, that was going to come back. You can hear that in some of my lyrics.”

“And lately I’ve been wondering / If it’s all behind me / 33 is still young,” she sings in the album’s opening track “Avenue.” The drums create urgency and the guitars soar as Singleton sings “It’s too early to say goodnight.” 

“Our process was really strange because we were in the same house but didn’t write in the same room,” said Singleton. “We just sent files back and forth. For me, writing is really vulnerable and difficult. I couldn’t feel free to fully express myself if anyone else was around.”

Some might find the task of writing honest lyrics about a life partner who is also a musical partner to be a living nightmare, but that wasn’t an issue for Singleton and Dumke. “He never once asked me to explain anything. He was really good about it.”

Along with celebrating the release of Swimming Lessons, Saturday’s show also marks Midnight High’s debut performance as a six-piece band. Singleton and Dumke always intended to be part of a bigger band, but the isolation of the pandemic prevented that. “It’s a brand new project and we’re doing things backward,” said Dumke. “We wrote a record and then we put a band together. We’re trying to figure out bandhood. We’re so glad there’s a lot of great Seattle music right now. It’s inspiring.” 

The Seattle scene has taken in Dumke and Singleton since they arrived from New Mexico seven years ago. “The welcoming community was specific to Seattle when we moved here; we landed in a great group of musicians, and from there we were able to branch out,” Singleton said.

Missing that newfound community made the pandemic more difficult. Though neither knew what the future of live music would be when it came time to release Swimming Lessons, they knew that they’d want to dance. On Saturday they finally get their party, and they’ll be joined by local musicians who share their dreamy aesthetics and a love of harmony. Openers include dreamy folk singer-songwriter Lerin Herzer, and the cinematic, string-heavy Byland. Dumke promises other surprises and guests, as well as a “high-energy, dynamic show to celebrate the end of summer and get one last hurrah in.”

“I just gravitate so much toward harmony as a singer, and we’ve latched onto these harmony-heavy female-fronted bands,” said Singleton. “I love the idea of all these bad-ass women doing shows together.”

Midnight High play Tractor Tavern with Byland and Lerin Herzer Sat, Aug 19 at 9 pm, $15, 21+.