Charming to the Last, the creative outlet for Canadian artist Ben Bourque, has been a prolific force in the indie Christian rock scene since the band debuted in 2020. Having already produced three LPs (including last year's Stick the Landing), Bourque is back with the group's second EP 4:32 AM. That title is a result of early morning rockings with his child, who had a penchant for having nightmares around that time. Eventually, the lyrical ideas coalesced into this six-track offering. Fans of Charming to the Last will find themselves listening to a familiar sound. Bourque continues channeling the hey-day of Relient K, Hawk Nelson, and even some Sanctus Real vibes. Lyrically, he continues dancing between spiritual musings and mundane living.

The EP can be split evenly between those two topics. Three songs focus on Bourque's relationship with his wife: "Steal Every Slow Dance," "The Hardest Parts," and the softest track of the bunch, "Our Life in Boxes." These tracks tend to have the most Relient K feel to them--especially the playful "Steal Every Slow Dance," with humorous lyrics scattered throughout. Bourque, however, isn't afraid to admit that marriage can be tough sometimes. On "The Hardest Parts" he sings, "There were nights I slept facing the wall/Not sure how we'd make it through at all/But your voice was a lifeline, even low/Like headlights cutting through the snow." While he shows the shadow side of marriage, these tracks are odes to the love he has for his wife. "Our Life in Boxes" has the tender lines, too, "Still every few years pack our lives up in boxes/I'm so glad that I had you as a constant." Although these songs are clearly tied to Bourque's marriage, the sentiment is general enough for anybody to relate to their own experience.

The other side of this EP's coin is the spiritually driven songs. If the marriage songs are about gratitude for a spouse's love, these three tracks wrestle with doubt. Opener "Holy Embers" is the brightest of the three, focusing on God's love for us despite our failures (although doubt does get mentioned). This sets up the deeper exploration of the other two songs, "Learn How to Listen" and "Believe." The former finds Bourque trying to teach himself patience: "And maybe belief is a slow-burning flame/Not a spark, not a fire, but what remains." "Believe" closes out the EP with the desperate cry, "I want to have faith, but struggle with doubt/You know my heart, I need you now/Jesus be near me, all I want is to believe." While the love songs are sweet in their own right, these spiritual tunes are likely what most listeners will find relatable. What makes Bourque's admissions of doubt palatable is their pairing with the pop/punk sound that's always driving ahead. As a listener, you get the point and you move on. That's life.

The dichotomy of bright, optimistic love songs with darker, spiritual songs wrestling with doubt make 4:32 AM an interesting EP. The clash of these two topics might seem random, but any parent who has been up with a child for multiple nights knows what strange things cross the mind in those hours. Maybe it will help a listener to think of this EP as an unconnected set, but the recurring themes are hard to miss. What's clear is that even early in the morning, Charming to the Last continues to churn out great music that indie rock fans can jam out to no matter the time of day.

- Review date: 9/2/25, written by John Underdown of Jesusfreakhideout.com

 

 

 

 Record Label: None
 Album length: 6 tracks: 22 minutes, 6 seconds
 Street Date: August 15, 2025
 Buy It: Amazon Music

Holy Embers (3:52) Steal Every Slow Dance (3:29) Learn How to Listen (3:57) The Hardest Parts (4:10) Our Life In Boxes Master (3:30) Believe (3:09)