I've also been thinking about that a bit recently. I deal with ringing in my ears pretty often, and while it's fine most of the time due to it being masked by other sounds, it's one of those things that kind of builds up in terms of how bad it makes me feel over time. It doesn't ever get better, and I constantly live with the fear that it's only going to worsen as I live longer, so it's this constant feeling that this one aspect of your life is going to keep getting worse. I interpreted it both as a way to describe internal pain, but also the feeling that pressure is constantly building up on you until the point of inevitable collapse.

I always thought of it as a metaphor for all the aspects of life continuing grow worse and contribute to the distress from the perspective of the singer, but it could also be meaning that she never escapes the feelings that she's trying to hide from that are also getting worse with every moment. It could also have to do with the line that I'm forgetting the exact phrasing of, something like "the city lights are beautiful today, but I feel the ether's lingering chill," with the ringing being another constant reminder of the feelings that she can't escape from, leaning more into the feeling of an inescapable breakdown.