 A third and final album was again helmed by David Kahne, which Allmusic writer Stewart Mason speculated was a "reaction against the more commercial sound of Benefactor. By this time, Carter had been replaced by veteran session drummer Aaron Smith. Instincts was released in October 1984, debuted at No. 68 on the Billboard 200, and proved to be the band's best-selling album. It also launched their most successful single," A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing), "which broke the Billboard Top 40 and peaked at No. 35. Critical reactions were positive. Despite being the band's most successful effort to date, Columbia pulled the band's promotional support while on a nationwide tour." The very next town we got to after they made that decision, there wasn't an A & R person there, "said Iyall." [There] was no local person there, there were no interviews and in-stores arranged as they had been. All that just ground to a halt. "The band returned to San Francisco and soon broke up. Constant touring has been cited by Iyall as the primary reason for the break-up." You get tired of each other, and you get intolerant of being uncomfortable and away from your family and your friends. "According to a VH1 reunion episode, the issue of Iyall's weight was the reason for the label dropping them. In 2003, Iyall agreed with this claim:" Howie sold us from 415 to Columbia Records, and they were like' Who's this fat chick?' They decided that was as far as it was going to get, and pulled their support. " Crawdaddy! writer Denise Sullivan stated that the label spoke to Iyall about losing weight, but she subsequently refused. In 2010, Iyall declined to discuss the issue, but added that she may not be taking full responsibility in the matter.
