Tomson grew up on a farm in the
Imlaystown section of
Upper Freehold Township, New Jersey, and later recorded parts of Vampire Weekend's first album there. His father is an engineer whose family is of
Irish and
Ukrainian heritage (he studied abroad in Ireland in college). His mother is an administrator whose family is of English and German heritage. He graduated from the
Peddie School as a salutatorian and then from
Columbia University where he studied economics and music. Tomson enjoys
photography and is an avid
soccer fan; his favorite club is
Tottenham Hotspur. Tomson is also a huge fan of
Phish,
The Band, and the
Grateful Dead. After living in the
Greenpoint neighborhood of
Brooklyn for several years, he moved to
Los Angeles in 2019. In 2008, he was involved in a
hit-and-run incident in London after the
Shockwaves NME Awards. He was taken to hospital to be treated for neck injuries but was released with no notable injuries. ==Musical career==