‘Duende’ is a difficult term to define. Spanish poet Frederico García Lorca, defines it as inherent in creative expression – it is the unspoken but ever-present spirit of spontaneous creation and soul-bred passion. It is a powerful and sometimes diabolical force and for the Athens duo Hot and Cold, exploring the ‘duende’ is a central – albeit unintentional – element of musical expression.

“I definitely connect with everything that it stands for and it’s supposed to be and I think anyone who plays music and anyone who is even a big fan of music feels that… what is considered the ‘duende,’” said Chase Prince, the band’s drummer and part-time vocalist.

Joseph Campbell, guitarist and lead vocalist, agrees. “We’re trying to reach out to that in a way, trying to continue the correlation of that in music,” he said.

They maintain an improvisational method of writing and performing, lending authentic spontaneity to their gritty, blues-rock sound.

Hot and Cold formed just six months ago when Campbell moved to Athens and began playing with Prince, a longtime friend who was already in Athens and playing drums in Spring Tigers. The two had previously played together in their hometown of Jacksonville, but once they were reunited, the band was born.

“The idea was kind of there to begin with,” Campbell said, but it was only after the jams evolved into songs that the decision was finalized.

Hot and Cold combines elements of delta blues, psych-rock and classic rock to achieve a raw, energetic feel. But with only two instruments, both members agree that filling out the sound can be difficult to achieve.

“There’s no bass filling out the really low bass frequencies, which would be nice, and, you know, maybe another guitar, but there’s still great things about only being two people,” Prince said.

And for the duo, the greatness lies in the band’s inherent minimalism. By keeping the creative pool small and working only off of each other, both members focus solely on one another with little conflict or distraction.

Although the group’s instrumental simplicity may imply an equally simple sound, Hot and Cold compensates by using volume and tangible, fiery passion in their songs.

“[Prince] hits the drums really hard, cranked up guitar, it’s a really loud experience, especially for two people,” Campbell said.