It's Too Loud in Here

I feel screamed at all the time.

Is it just my elderly thirtysomething ears, or is popular music significantly louder than it used to be? Even coffee shop music seems able to drown out my thinking nowadays, much less the thunderous synth beats that assault me while shopping or eating. Movie soundtracks feel turned up to 100.

And it’s not just music. People seem louder than before. I tu…