Sugar at the Gate is the third studio album of Canadian indie group TOPS, consisting of vocalist Jane Penny, guitarist David Carriere, drummer Riley Fleck, and bassist Jackson MacIntosh.

For making the album, the group lived in Los Angeles in order to have the music reflect experiencing a "teenage fantasy" in the city; it was tracked in a Glendale, California-based mansion named Glamdale.

[3] Sugar at the Gate was claimed by NARC Magazine to be TOPS' best album: "The satisfying blend of well-timed chord changes, floating synths and featherlike drum beats create something that handsomely rewards repeated listens, especially on the sunnier days.

"[19] The band's continued attention to song craft was a common praise in reviews of Sugar at the Gate,[15][8] especially for a record in an indie scene where "few young artists even attempt this sort of subtly difficult form of pop" (Kevin Korber of Spectrum Culture)[20] and "DIY sometimes suggests the heedless jettisoning of any frills" (Now's Mark Streeter).

"[21] In mixed reviews, DIY's Laura Prior appreciated the use of melancholic lyrics and the "indifferent" delivery of them with an upbeat sound[9] and God is in the TV's praised Penny's singing and the record's "few undeniable bangers;"[11] however, both felt it lacked any sort of heaviness to make the music memorable.

[22] Mojo dismissed the record as "largely insubstantial,"[6] while PressPlayOK felt the band's move towards a sadder tone caused their music to not entice a demographic: "TOPS fans may find themselves alienated in the go-nowhere numbers like Cutlass Cruiser and Hours Between, and newcomers will have switched off long before then.