Instincts (album) explained

Instincts
Type:	Studio album
Artist:	Romeo Void
Cover:	rvinst.jpg
Released:	October 1, 1984
Recorded:	1984
Length:	38:14
Label:	Columbia
Producer:	David Kahne
Prev Title:	Benefactor
Prev Year:	1982
Next Title:	Warm, in Your Coat
Next Year:	1992

Instincts is the third and final studio album by the American band Romeo Void.^[1] It was released in 1984 on Columbia Records.^[2] The single "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)" reached No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The album was produced by David Kahne.^[3]

Critical reception

The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that "a walloping beat defines every track, [Debora] Iyall's vocals are smoky and spirited and there are some wonky sax breaks throughout." The Wall Street Journal deemed Instincts "an album of polished, haunting music that lingers with you, like the aftertaste of cognac or the memory of a lover."^[4] The Globe and Mail praised Benjamin Bossi's "searing, jazz-tinged saxophone," writing that "the band sounds like nothing else that has gone before."^[5] Trouser Press concluded: "Mixing strength with beauty, Romeo Void makes very special dance music for the mind."^[6]

Track listing

1. "Out on My Own" (Debora Iyall, Peter Woods, Frank Zincavage, David Kahne) – 3:51
2. "Just Too Easy" (Iyall, Woods, Zincavage, Kahne) – 3:09
3. "Billy's Birthday" (Iyall, Woods, Zincavage) – 4:10
4. "Going to Neon" (Kahne) – 3:33
5. "Six Days and One" (Woods, Zincavage) – 4:31
6. "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)" (Iyall, Woods, Zincavage, Kahne) – 4:17
7. "Say No" (Iyall, Woods, Zincavage, Kahne) – 4:37
8. "Your Life Is a Lie" (Iyall, Woods, Zincavage) – 5:16
9. "Instincts" (Iyall, Woods, Zincavage) – 4:50

Bonus track (2003 reissue)

1. "In the Dark" (Benjamin Bossi, Larry Carter, Iyall, Zincavage, Woods) – 4:33 Produced by Ian Taylor and Ric Ocasek

Personnel

• Debora Iyall – vocals
• Peter Woods – guitar
• Benjamin Bossi – saxophone
• Frank Zincavage – bass
• Aaron Smith – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

• Larry Carter – drums on bonus track
• Randy Jackson – bass
• Vicki Randle – backing vocals
• Tish Lorenzo – narration

Technical

• François Kevorkian, Jay Mark, Joe Chiccarelli, Ken Kessie - engineers
• Chester Simpson - cover photography

Charts

Album

Single

Notes and References

1. Web site: Romeo Void Biography by Stewart Mason . AllMusic . 5 June 2023.
2. News: Matsumoto . Jon . Iyall: From the Big Time to Fun Time . Los Angeles Times . 11 Sep 1987 . Calendar . 6.
3. News: Righi . Len . A New Kind of Recognition for Romeo Void . The Morning Call . 6 Nov 1984 . D7.
4. News: Lambert . Pam . Good Vibrations: Noteworthy Rock Releases . The Wall Street Journal . 21 Aug 1984 . Leisure & Arts . 1.
5. News: Niester . Alan . Instincts Romeo Void . The Globe and Mail . 4 Oct 1984 . E3.
6. Web site: Romeo Void . Trouser Press . 5 June 2023.