Not All the Beautiful Things is the debut studio album by Australian musical project What So Not, which is the performing name of DJ and producer, Chris Emerson.

The record contains twelve songs, all featuring production collaborations and performances with a range of artists: Toto, Skrillex, Dyro, Daniel Johns and San Holo.

The tracks comprise What So Not's signature future bass and trap sounds, while experimenting with other electronic music genres including hip hop, dubstep, and house.

The record includes three singles — "Be Ok Again" with Daniel Johns in November 2017, "Stuck in Orbit" with Buoy in January 2018, and "Beautiful" with Winona Oak in February 2018.

[3] He had been unable to do so while on the move, saying: "I had a few test runs with EPs and things, particularly with Divide and Conquer, but I don't think I could have really done an album before this point, because I ended up on tour for almost six years.

"[4] In January 2018, the DJ announced its release date as 9 March via Counter Records / Sweat It Out / Warner Music Australia, and publicised its track list.

[15] The album's first single, "Be Ok Again", was released on 28 November 2017 and featured Australian singer Daniel Johns, former frontman of the rock band Silverchair.

[19] Dancing Astronaut's David Klemow described "Be Ok Again" as a future bass track which "plays upon the project's earliest core appeals, returning to fluttering vocal work over bold, bombastic build ups and wiry, off-kilter breaks".

[20] What So Not, who described the song as a "really personal track",[21] said it originated during a studio session in 2017 with music and production duo Slumberjack (Morgan Then, Fletcher Ehlers).

[25][26][27] In an emailed statement to Billboard, What So Not revealed that the song started as a jam with Jona Ma in his film scoring studio (Sonar Music).

[12] One night when an airport system crash had left the DJ stranded, he channeled his frustrations musically and came up with the lyrics for "Stuck In Orbit".

[27] The song was recorded through Skype, due to What So Not's busy touring schedule, which made it difficult for him to spend time in his studio.

"[12] Music critics were generally positive towards Not All the Beautiful Things, with most praising the collaborations and production values; although some felt parts were too predictable.

[36][35] The former selected "We Keep On Running" with Toto as his favourite track, citing the "powerful production" and the song's "plucky transform[ation] into distorted rock" at the drop.

[36] Hayden Manders of Nylon praised the songs where the DJ had "full control", notably the closing track "Us" which she described as a "cosmic journey through a couple's private life in a public sphere".

's Hampson felt the record was predictable after its first two tracks, with songs "capitalizing on uninspired progressions and slopped in a grime we've heard the world over", while AllMusic's Yeung noted that sections of the album occasionally "sound like a mishmash of multiple artists vying for the same spotlight".

gave a lukewarm reception to the Toto collaboration, calling it a "bad Top 40 anthem any number of at-the-moment pop stars might throw out.